The present invention relates to a disk cartridge storage case for storing a disk cartridge having a built-in disk-like information recording medium, and particularly relates to a disk cartridge storage case for storing a mini-disk cartridge which stores therein in a photomagnetic disk having a diameter of 2.5 inches.
Further, the present invention also relates to an index card used for a cartridge storage case which can store a cartridge built-in disk-like information recording medium such as a mini-disk (hereinafter referred to as the MD) through a slot in a storage portion thereof, and particularly relates to a structure designed to improve the durability of an index card.
A disk cartridge has a built-in information recording medium, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a disk, etc. Recently, the size of such a disk cartridge has become able to be reduced as the density of information recording has become high. As such a disk cartridge with a reduced size, a mini-disk cartridge with a built-in mini-disk having a diameter of 2.5 inches, called "MD", has been put into practical use.
The MD cartridge generally uses such a storage case 61 as shown in FIG. 1, in order to protect the whole of the cartridge from an external impact or in order to prevent dust from entering the cartridge to thereby make the storage and carrying of the cartridge easy and sure.
As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional storage case 61 is constituted by a box-shaped body in which a cartridge storage space 63 of a thin parallelepiped shape is formed in order to store an MD cartridge 60 therein. An insertion port 62 for loading the MD cartridge 60 is opened in one side surface of the storage case 61. In addition, arched spring members 65 and 65 are disposed on opposite side walls 64 and 64 which define the cartridge storage space 63. Further, at least the upper wall is formed from transparent resin (such as polycarbonate, polystyrene, AS resin, or the like).
The spring members 65 and 65 project into the storage space 63 so as to elastically engage with recess portions 60a and 60a formed in opposite side walls of the MD cartridge 60, when the MD cartridge 60 is inserted into the storage space 63 through the insertion port 62. Thus, the MD cartridge 60 is held so an not to come off from the storage case 61 unexpectedly.
When an index sheet on which recording contents of a disk, etc., is written is put into such a storage case 61, it is necessary to insert the index sheet into the narrow storage space 63 through the insertion port 62. However, if the index sheet is designed to be large enough so that the index sheet does not easily come off when it is forced into the storage space 63, the capability of insertion of the index sheet becomes low so that the handling becomes poor. On the other hand, if the index sheet is designed to be small enough so that the index sheet can be inserted easily into the storage space 63, the index sheet may come off easily. Conventionally, therefore, the index sheet is provided in the form of an application seal so that the application seal can be stuck onto the external surface of the storage case 61.
However, when the index sheet is stuck on the external surface of the storage case 61, there is a problem that the index sheet is apt to be dirty so that items mentioned on the index sheet becomes impossible to be read.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, as a conventional cartridge storage case for storing detachably a cartridge 380 with a built in disk recording medium, there is a cartridge storage case 381 comprising a case body 382 of flat parallelepiped provided with an inner space 383 which can store the cartridge 380.
A insertion port 384 is formed at the upper end in FIG. 2 showing a case body 382, and a dimension A of the insertion port 384 in the direction from left to right in FIG. 2 is larger than a dimension B of the cartridge 380 in the direction from left to right in FIG. 2. The cartridge 380 is stored in an internal space 383 via the insertion port 384 and detached therefrom.
A Case storing the MD is taken and explained hereinafter as an example of the conventional cases. In the vicinity of the innermost portion (the lower end in FIG. 2) of the inner space 383 of the case body 382 is provided a pair of lock members 385 capable of elastic deformation. The lock members 385 are respectively and detachably in engagement with recesses 311 provided on an MD cartridge 380 to hold the MD cartridge 380 to the case body 382.
In the conventional cartridge storage case 381 described above, there is a problem wherein because of too large dimension of a gap C (=dimension A-dimension B), if, for example, one holds a round corner portion of the cartridge 380 by a fingertip 386 and tries to insert the cartridge into the case body 382, the posture of the cartridge 380 is apt to oblique relative to the insertion port 384. Thereby, it is a great possibility that the cartridge 380 is held and caught between a point D in the vicinity of the insertion port 384 and the lock member 385 on the right side in FIG. 2.
In the case of storing the MD, there is a problem wherein if the cartridge 380 is forced into the case body 382, the cartridge 380 itself or the lock member 385 of the cartridge storage case 381 is damaged, and then it becomes impossible to pull out the cartridge 380. There is also a problem in the carriage of the cartridge storage case in which the cartridge 380 vibrates and generates unpleasant noise.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, as a cartridge storage cage for storing a cartridge, such as the MD, etc. (not illustrated herein), there is currently available a so-called slot-in storage case.
This storage case 450 is so constructed that a case body 452 of a flat parallelepiped is provided with an insertion port 451 and an inner space 453 to detachably store a cartridge through the insertion port.
When it is desired to detachably attach through the insertion port 451 an index card 454 on which the recording content in the MD, etc is recorded or written, inasmuch as such cartridge storage case is basically constructed to permit a cartridge to be inserted/ejected through the insertion port, the index card has an area in the vicinity of the insertion port side edge 455, particularly, sites shown by a symbol F in FIG. 3, which are cut by cutter, etc. during production of the index card proper and which are subject to deterioration due to rubbing with cartridges. In some cases, cracks occur or wavy wrinkles generate in the insertion direction of the cartridge.
As a result, in the storage cases of the so-called slot-in type, improvement in the durability of index cards was called for.